Independent Publishers Group Acquires International Specialized Book Services

April 4, 2018

CHICAGO, IL – Independent Publishers Group (IPG, www.ipgbook.com) is pleased to announce that academic book distributor International Specialized Book Services (ISBS, www.isbs.com) is joining the IPG family. ISBS’s list of over sixty publishers of academic, scholarly and professional publishers, and will be merged with IPG’s own Academic andProfessional Publishing distribution program.

In addition to continuing in their existing relationships with academic library wholesalers and suppliers, ISBS client publishers will be gaining access to IPG’s vast distribution channels, including national and independent retailers, wholesalers, public libraries, an abundance of special market channels and over 100 e-book retailer partners. Paul Murphy, IPG’s VP, Managing Director of its Academic and Professional Publishing program, and Jeff C. Charbonneau, CEO of ISBS, will both oversee the integration of ISBS into IPG.

About the merger, Murphy said, “It’s exciting for us to add such high-quality content from the list of prominent academic publishers in the ISBS portfolio. We look forward to working closely with the exceptional staff at ISBS to implement proven best practices to ensure we maintain and surpass the demands of our publishers, customers and readers.”

Charbonneau noted, “We are looking forward to working closely with IPG to ensure a smooth integration of operations. I know our client publishers are going to benefit from IPG’s expanded service capabilities and market presence and am excited about the opportunities and market strength those capabilities are going to provide.”

IPG CEO Joe Matthews also added, “ISBS joining IPG is a perfect fit. IPG will gain world class academic publishers, and those publishers will gain access to IPG’s more than 10,000 active customers and state-of-the-art reporting, marketing, and fulfillment systems. It is also a cultural fit; IPG and ISBS share the same service-oriented mindset where the publisher is always number one.”

About Independent Publishers Group
Established in 1971, IPG was the first organization specifically created for the purpose of marketing titles from independent presses to the book trade. With consistent growth year-over-year, IPG’s success has come from supporting and encouraging the growth of its client publishersin the United States and worldwide. IPG has a wide reach in the market through its distribution of publishers with academic, Spanish-language, computer and general trade nonfiction and fiction titles. IPG was acquired by Chicago Review Press in 1987, and Chicago Review Press, Inc., the parent company of both IPG and Chicago Review Press, was born. In the fall of 2006, Chicago Review Press, Inc. bought Trafalgar Square Publishing, Inc., the leading US distributor of UK and Australian publishers. Trafalgar Square Publishing distributes for clients such as Penguin Random House UK, Penguin Random House Australia, Pan Macmillan UK, Pavilion, Collins UK, and Head of Zeus. IPG acquired INscribe Digital in July 2016. INscribe Digital offers flexible and scalable solutions for e-book production, conversion, marketing and distribution.

International Specialized Book Services (ISBS)
For over 40 years ISBS has been providing international publishers with a wide range of services from fulfillment through to full-service marketing and distribution. They represent publishers from around the globe—including Australia, the UK and Europe, India, Japan, New Zealand, North America and South Africa—whose subjects include history, economics, political science, religious studies, literature, science, engineering, law, and criminal justice. They have offices in Portland, Oregon, and in London, England.